Long gone from Marquette, Joey Hauser will meet the Golden Eagles with Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Joey Hauser hasn't played for Marquette since March 21, 2019.

Not long after the Golden Eagles' season ended in a blowout loss to Murray State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Hauser and his brother, Sam, made the headline-grabbing decision to transfer with Joey landing at Michigan State.

There are no players or coaches left at MU from Hauser's time at the school. Walk-on Michael Kennedy is MU's longest-tenured player, and he was a freshman in the 2019-20 season under former head coach Steve Wojciechowski.

But with Hauser and the seventh-seeded Spartans set to face second-seeded MU in the of the NCAA Tournament round of 32 Sunday at Nationwide Arena, he knew that facing his old school would be a storyline even if it feels anticlimactic after so many years.

"People probably make it out to be more serious than it is," Hauser said on Saturday. "But I loved my time at Marquette and I grew a lot there.

"I graduated from high school a semester early, so it was a big growing step for me at Marquette. Especially having my brother there, playing with him. I got nothing against Marquette. It was a great time there."

Hauser is one of Michigan State's top players

As the NCAA Tournament bracket was being revealed, Hauser could see this pairing coming.

"I knew it right away," he said. "You knew we were a seventh seed and they were most likely to be a two. So I figured, yeah, we're going to match up in the round of 32 for sure. I guessed right."

Hauser is in his third season with the Spartans and is averaging 14.3 points per game. He scored 17 in Michigan State's victory over Southern California in the first round on Friday.

MU's Olivier-Maxence Prosper will likely draw the assignment of defending Hauser.

"Really good shooter," Prosper said. "You got arrive on the catch. Be alert. Have a high contest at all times and we'll be in great shape."

Prosper knew that Hauser played at MU, but Prosper arrived at MU when head coach Shaka Smart replaced the fired Wojciechowski in the spring of 2021 so the meeting is just business as usual.

Hauser doesn't know what to expect from MU fans

MU fans, on the other hand, vividly remember the news that the Hausers were transferring from an MU team that expected to be really good in the 2019-20 season.

There was a lot of speculation among MU fans that the brothers didn't like playing with Markus Howard and that they didn't have faith that the team would have success under Wojciechowski. All parties being tight-lipped about the decision fueled even more rumors.

"I try not to pay attention to it much," Hauser said. "You know what, we were young men that had to make decisions about what we thought was best for us. It's worked out pretty well."

So Hauser doesn't know what to expect from MU fans at the game on Sunday.

"I don't know what the vibe is really," Hauser said. "Honestly, I know they were pretty upset when we first left. But who knows?

"The coach that coached me there is not there anymore, so who knows exactly how they feel? But once again, it's Michigan State vs. Marquette so I'm sure they're going to be chanting either way, talking crap to us."

All parties have moved on

Hauser wasn't surprised by some of the vitriol that he and his brother received after their decision to move on from MU.

"Twitter, Instagram, all that stuff people can say whatever they want," Hauser said. "It's crazy stuff."

Sam Hauser played a season at Virginia and has carved out a role with the Boston Celtics.

"It's pretty crazy," Joey Hauser said. "I don't know if we ever even could have dreamed of it. When he was given the opportunity last year, we weren't sure exactly what it was going to look like.

"But knowing Sam, he's a worker. He's an unbelievable basketball player, unbelievable shooter. I always thought he would find himself onto a roster and work his way into a contract."

MU has moved on as well, having historic success in Smart's second season as head coach with Big East regular-season and tournament titles.

Hauser says he is playing his last season in college. He could apply for a NCAA waiver for another season after taking a medical redshirt when he enrolled early at MU in the 2017-18 season.

But, after six years in college, he is ready for what's next.

"I'm done, man," Hauser said. "I used up my one more year last year."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Michigan State's Joey Hauser to play against former team, Marquette